Lexus tops the UK J.D. Power Survey for the ninth year running
For the ninth year in a row Lexus has topped the customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Power – an amazing feat. But is it?
People who buy a Lexus are buying in to something very specific. They are willing to pay a premium price for a well-built car that doesn’t go wrong and which is quiet and compliant. And as they say, a Lexus does do what it says on the tin.
I’m not saying that Lexus buyers are less discerning than other buyers, but I think they are far more specific in their needs, and those needs are much more easily defined. Unlike a performance car, where the performance it delivers can be construed in a subjective way, the qualities a Lexus buyer wants are easier to define and, especially as a Lexus is not a budget buy, easier to deliver.
None the less, it is still a great achievement by Lexus to come out on top for nearly a decade. Second place in the manufacturers table came Honda, with a resurgent Mercedes in third. Bottom of the heap was Fiat, which must have Americans wondering what on earth Chrysler is going to dish up for their delight and delectation in the coming years.
In terms of individual cars, it is again a Lexus at the top – an RX SUV. But second place went to the Toyota Prius. Which again fits in to my pet theory that people who buy easily defined qualities are more likely to be satisfied. The Toyota Prius is not a good car, and on any objective scale it should have been way down the list. But people buy a Prius to shine their ‘Green Halo’, so they get what they want – Green Brownie points (if that’s not an oxymoron) from those whose opinions they value.
And if you add together the ‘Green Halo’ effect and the Lexus ‘Quality Delivery’ I think it would be a safe bet to suggest that Lexus will clean up next year, as they have just released the Hybrid version of the RX – the Lexus RX450h – in the UK.
Full charts for the J.D. Power survey for the UK are below. Click the image to get a bigger version.
Source: J.D. Power & Associates
J.D. Power Survey UK 2009 Manufacturers
J.D. Power Survey UK 2009 Cars
Jordan says
The declaration that American cars are narrowing the gap is somewhat misleading: While it is true, as a whole, they are making gains — the real numbers that matter to consumers is the individual cars in a particular class. For example, the top three classes of cars are: Truck, Mid-sized sedan, and SUV. Toyota dominates in these classes. Just because Americans can do cars that few people drive better — isn’t exactly the best accomplishment.
I tell all my friends to buy foreign still. And to use the power of competition to get a good price (ignore clever marketing). This is the best process to use when you are ready for a car: